Return of the Legendary Runesmith - Chapter 423

Chapter 423: Chapter 422- Goodbye
After taking a bath, they both changed into a fresh pair of clothes—Adrian always carried extra sets in his inventory, a habit born from constant wandering.

Now, they lay on the bed, cocooned in each other’s warmth. Adrian’s arms were wrapped securely around her, and Querella’s face rested against his chest, her breath soft and steady.

His heartbeat thumped faintly under her ear, an anchor she hadn’t realized she still needed desperately.

The room was quiet, but it wasn’t the suffocating kind of silence—

It was the kind that enveloped them, soft and tender, as if the world itself had paused just to give them this moment.

Neither wanted to move. Neither wanted the warmth to fade.

However—

[Host, the teleportation will begin in ten minutes. Due to the recent disturbances detected within the system, you will be forcibly returned to your world.]

The notification cut through the stillness like a thin blade.

There had been two windows: one in five hours—the one he had tried earlier—and one in twelve.

The five-hour window had collapsed, thankfully, because Adrian had been fighting for his life at that very moment.

But this one would not fail.

This portal would open.

And he had to go.

Unless he wanted to be stranded here for an unknowable stretch of time.

A part of him did want that.

A wild, irrational part—one that wanted to stay with Querella, let the world burn, and let whatever consequences fall.

They had reunited after years. There were scars to unravel, apologies he owed, and truths that still trembled in the space between their breaths.

But some things existed beyond even his reach. And there were people waiting for him back there too, whom they can never abandon.

“You’re leaving…aren’t you?” Querella whispered, her voice low, roughened by emotion as she lifted her head to look at him.

Adrian exhaled softly, brushing his palm along her back in slow circles.

“I have to,” he murmured. “Ariana and Annabelle…they’ve been worried sick.”

Querella’s fingers toyed with the buttons of his shirt—light flicks, gentle touches that carried more yearning than she could hide.

“I want to tie you down right here,” she confessed, her gaze lowering again. “To keep you in my arms and never let you walk out again. You left me once…seeing you leave again…” her voice faltered, “it would hurt more than I’d like to admit.”

Adrian stayed silent.

He didn’t defend himself.

He didn’t try to explain.

Because she was right.

He was her criminal—the man who once abandoned her, intentionally or not.

Her insecurity wasn’t unreasonable; it was a wound he had placed there himself.

After a long pause, Querella’s lips curved faintly upward, though her eyes still glistened with aching clarity.

“But I understand,” she said quietly. “People are waiting for you. People who love you. Your attention…your warmth…it can’t belong to me alone.”

Adrian tilted his head down, brushing his thumb along her jaw.

“Are you upset about it?”

She chuckled softly.

“Upset about sharing my husband?” Her eyes softened, the bitterness fading into something gentler. Adrian nodded, and she continued, “No. If anything…I feel lucky you didn’t push me away. Lucky you accepted me even when everyone can see how strong your feelings are for Ariana.”

His grip on her tightened just a little—not possessive, but grounding.

“Didn’t I tell you?” he said, voice low, earnest. “You’re irreplaceable to me. No matter where I go, no matter how far the worlds stretch—

I will always come back to you.”

Querella closed her eyes briefly, letting the words sink into her bones.

Another soft silence settled over them, but this one felt different—heavier, sweeter, tinged with the quiet ache of a goodbye neither wanted.

She pressed her forehead against his chest again, her fingers curling lightly around the fabric of his shirt.

She wanted to memorize the warmth of him, the scent of him, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

To hoard these sensations for the cold nights that would come after he left.

Over the years, she had convinced herself she’d grown immune to longing, immune to hope, immune to the raw vulnerabilities of loving someone too deeply.

But with this man—

with Adrian—

That immunity crumbled like dust.

He awakened sides of her she had buried, emotions she thought she’d outgrown, desperation she thought she had burned away.

He drew them out effortlessly, recklessly, simply by existing near her.

And as she held him tighter, she realized something—

This feeling…

this ache…

this quiet trembling in her chest…

It was a reminder that her heart had never healed at all.

It had only been waiting.

Waiting for him.

[Five minutes remaining.]

The system informed.

Adrian sighed before he slowly got up from the bed, followed by Raven who also got up, her arms still clinging to him.

She stood close, her head pressed against his chest as she asked softly, “When are you coming back?”

Adrian informed her, “I will negotiate with the system to shorten the cooldown so that I can visit you often.”

From what Evilyn said, Adrian’s cooldown time was the lowest among them all, but even then, three days felt unbearably long. Adrian wanted to come here often—every day, if he could. Yes, he could reduce the duration of his stay, but even a brief visit every two days would be good. Even if it was for an hour.

Or better… if there was no cooldown at all.

‘I wish I could use teleportation to reach my world and this one at will.’ Then he wouldn’t need to rely on the system’s rigid rules.

But—

[You have already acquired enough mana to jump between two worlds. It is your lack of practice—and the unknown entity creating ripples in the fourth dimension—that is preventing you from teleporting.]

Adrian’s brows elevated. ‘You still couldn’t identify who this unknown entity is?’

[It would take some time, host, but the system will dig out a name soon.]

Adrian sighed. ‘I expect no less from you.’

“Are you actually talking to the system while I am in your arms?” Raven asked, lifting her head with narrowed eyes, her tone a gentle complaint.

Adrian fumbled, “N-No… I… was just trying to negotiate.”

Querella chuckled, her pearly teeth peeking as she snuggled closer in his embrace and said, “It’s okay. I know you must be finding ways to come to me.”

Adrian’s shoulders dropped, the tension leaving his body as he murmured, “Well, you are right about that. If not for your role in this world, I would have picked you up in my arms and carried you back home.”

Querella giggled, the sound soft and airy, her laughter echoing like a soothing melody in his ears as she added, “Being separated but yearning for each other… It’s also a part of our love.”

She looked up at him then, her eyes shimmering with a warmth that made his chest tighten. Adrian gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, letting his fingers linger for a heartbeat. Raven leaned into his touch, her breath feathering against his skin, and whispered, almost as if confessing, “It only hurts because you matter this much.”

Adrian tightened his arms around her, wanting to shield her from the seconds slipping away. “Then let me make it hurt less,” he said quietly. “Let me find a way to stay longer. To break these limits.”

Her hand slowly trailed up his chest, resting over his heart. “You already do,” she whispered. “Even when you’re not here.”

Adrian exhaled softly, forehead lowering to hers as he murmured, “I’ll come back as fast as I can… faster than the system thinks possible.”

Raven smiled, eyes fluttering half-shut as she pressed closer, her voice no louder than a breath, “And I’ll be here… waiting… wanting you just the same.”

Adrian leaned down, and a breath later, their lips met in a soft embrace.

Her fingers clutched his shirt, and his hand gently but a little possessively grabbed her waist.

She was anxious, and he was impatient.

But both of them were undeniably in love.

Not so long after, Adrian was engulfed in silver brilliance.

They both parted at the same time.

Raven’s eyes were slightly moist as she said, “Take care of yourself…and if Ariana gets mad take care of things calmly.”

Adrian chuckled, “Don’t worry about that, and if anything goes awry at the plantations, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I might be busy for the next couple of days, but I will make sure to check the chat group every hour.”

Querella asked, “Can’t I send you a message unless there is an emergency?”

Adrian fondly smiled at her and said, “I will be sad if you don’t…I will wait for your text…Raven.”

And with that, he disappeared.

Raven’s shoulders dropped as she mumbled under her breath, ” I hope…you return this time to me.”

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A/N:- Thanks for reading. If you have been enjoying the story so far, make sure to drop a comment.